I recently acquired two MacBook Airs from 2017, but I'm a bit lost when it comes to Mac systems since I usually work with PCs. I can confirm they are 2017 models, but I'm trying to determine the exact specs – particularly whether they have an i5 or i7 processor and whether the RAM is 4GB or 8GB. I've booted into the recovery mode and found the serial number, but all the websites I've checked just give me generic info or don't recognize the serial number at all. I've also heard about using Terminal commands to find specs, but without a hard drive installed, I'm not sure if that will work. Can anyone suggest reliable ways to get these specs or any alternative methods to check the model details?
2 Answers
If you can get into the Mac OS Recovery mode, there's a chance you can access some system info from there. I'm not sure if it’ll give you processor details without the full OS running, but you could try looking for any accessible options in the menu. Alternatively, if you can get an external drive, you could install macOS temporarily for easy access to system specs.
That’s a solid plan! Once you’re in, just check ‘About This Mac’, and you’ll be good to go.
You can try using Terminal commands if you can access it without a hard drive. There are some commands you can run to pull up hardware info, but it might be tricky without the OS fully loaded. Here’s a link to some commands that could work: [link]. They usually help extract info without needing the full system booted up. Just make sure you're in the recovery terminal.
I checked that link, and it seems like those commands still require the OS to pull information. If there's no hard drive, it could be a dead end, unfortunately.
Yeah, without a functioning OS, it might be hit or miss. You might just need to get a temporary drive to boot up fully.
Great suggestion! Even a small SSD could provide enough space for a basic install and let you check everything easily.